A Passion of Three Centuries

For the good citizens of Leipzig who attended the premiere of the St. Matthew Passion three hundred years ago, this was not a concert. They were taking part in the 1727 Good Friday rituals at the church of St. Thomas where the composer worked overtime to carry out his responsibilities as Kantor. Divided in two by the sermon, the work far extended the dimension and impact of other contemporary works. Not only due to its length and complexity: with this story of the Passion, Bach opened new perspectives. He inspired the conventions of sacred music with theatricality and a sense of drama.

When it comes to finding the happy medium between theatre and devotion, it is difficult to imagine any better interpretation than the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin. There are few ensembles so attuned to the substance and form of this masterpiece where, despite the enormous magnitude of the altarpiece, it creates the introspection and intimacy to which Bach invites us. This vision, which has intensified over the decades, is light, expressive and virtuous. It communicates the novelty which perhaps the public three centuries ago may have sensed but were unable to explain.


 Johann Sebastian Bach, St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244